Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TOKYO (Reuters) - Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn left his Tokyo residence after a private security firm hired by Nissan Motor Co stopped monitoring him, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Saturday.

Ghosn has become an international fugitive after he revealed on Tuesday he had fled to Lebanon to escape what he called a “rigged” justice system in Japan, where he faces charges relating to alleged financial crimes.

SEOUL (Reuters) - A group of 11 North Koreans who were detained in Vietnam while seeking to defect to South Korea have been released thanks to the help of European institutions, a Seoul-based activist group said on Saturday.

The eight women and three men were caught by border guards in northern Vietnam in late November after crossing from China, and had been held in the northeastern border city of Lang Son.

Peter Jung, who heads the group helping the refugees, Justice for North Korea, said they were freed and on their way to South Korea last month.

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 3 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia will maintain its claim in the disputed South China Sea area despite China’s objection to Malaysia’s submission of the claim to the United Nations last month, said Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. 

The minister said the ministry has expected Beijing’s move and described it as “normal”.

“For China to object is something that we expect, even before. This is normal. I’m not saying we are okay on it…but it is our claim and we will maintain our claim,” he told a press conference at Wisma Putra, here, Friday. 

BEIJING, Jan 4 (NNN-XINHUA) – Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, will head to Africa next week, with official visits planned in Egypt, Eritrea and Djibouti, as well as Burundi and Zimbabwe.

The diplomatic schedule was announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which noted China’s tradition of beginning each new year on the African continent.

KEP, Cambodia, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Six Cambodian workers died and 16 others injured after a six-floor guesthouse building, that was under construction, collapsed in southwestern Cambodia's Kep province on Friday, a provincial spokesman said on Saturday.

"Twenty-two people were pulled out of the debris of the collapsed building, but six of them had died," Kep Provincial Information Department director and spokesman Ros Udong told Xinhua, adding that the victims aged between 15 and 56 years old.

BEIJING, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Differences should be resolved through dialogue and consultation, Yang Jiechi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee said on Friday in a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

During the talks, the U.S. side reported its position on the current situation in the Middle East.

Yang, who is also director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, said that China is highly concerned about the current situation in the Middle East.

TOKYO (AP) — A lawyer for former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn said Saturday he felt outraged and betrayed by his client’s escape from Japan to Lebanon, but also expressed an understanding for his feelings of not being able to get a fair trial.

“My anger gradually began to turn to something else,” Takashi Takano wrote in his blog post.

Referring to Japan’s judicial system, he said: “I was betrayed, but the one who betrayed me is not Carlos Ghosn.”

BEIJING, Jan 3 (APP): Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman on Friday urged the relevant sides to avoid further escalation of tension in the Middle East while commenting on killing of Iranian Commander by US airstrike in Iraq.

“China is closely following the developments. We consistently oppose the use force in the international relations,” Geng Shuang said during his routine briefing.

He said the Chinese side believed that all parties should earnestly abide by UN Charter, purposes and principles and basic norms, governing the international relations.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen convened a meeting of top defense officials Friday following a helicopter crash that killed the island’s top military officer and other prominent personnel.

In a tweet, Tsai said the morning conference focused on ensuring military morale, security in and around the Taiwan Strait and the importance of “complete equipment inspections.”

That followed the grounding for inspection of Taiwan’s 52 UH-60M Black Hawk choppers belonging to the air force, army and National Airborne Service Corps.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stocks were mixed Friday and oil prices surged after an Iranian general was killed by U.S. forces in Iraq.

Benchmarks in Shanghai and Hong Kong declined. Australia and some Southeast Asian markets advanced. Japanese markets were closed.

News that Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, was killed in an air attack at the Baghdad international airport prompted expectations of Iranian retaliation against U.S. and Israeli targets.